It has been said that the food industry will always have its share in the market and that it is the kind of business that will always be in demand. In an effort to strengthen the food industry, the 4th Manila Food and Beverage Expo (mafbex) will be held on June 16-20, 2010 at the World Trade Center. The event  is an international affair and is viewed as the biggest and the most comprehensive food show in the Philippines. This is actually a great opportunity for local and foreign manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and retailers of food and beverage products to meet the demands of the local and international markets. Hence, the event will serve as a venue for small and large-scale food business to attract potential clients and be able to promote local and international food industry. The event will, therefore, showcase the latest food, beverage and equipment ideas from around the globe under one roof. 

Aside from the promised exposure to potential clients,  a mafbex seminar will also be conducted on the following topics:

• Food Styling
• Corporate Image Enhancement
• Rubs and Marinade
• Pouring
• Beverage Controlling Your Foods and Costs
• Catering
• Punches
• Marketing 101
• All About Franchising and Trademark Your Business
• Cooking for the Palace
• Garnishing Bar 101
• Recent Advances in Food Preservation

You can click here for the schedule of seminars. Please note that the seminars are free and it will be on a first come, first serve basis; however, for Seminar Certificate a minimal amount of Php150.00 will be charged. 

If you are in the food and beverage business or want to engage in the food industry, you may want to check out this event. You can also click here for more details.

I was so excited when I received an e-mail from Pretty Paula, the brain behind BC Bloggers, saying that the BC Bloggers 3 is now officially open! Yay! I have always thought that BC Bloggers is such a wonderful idea, and it is now on its 3rd batch! I've been wondering if there will still be a next batch after the BC Bloggers 1 and 2. Since I have just recently started this blog, Sulong Pinay, I feel that this desperately needs to gain new friends and the opening of the BC Bloggers 3 is just the perfect opportunity to gain some friends. Isn't that wonderful?

So I am inviting all of you to come and join BC Bloggers 3! Here's the official invitation:

"Calling all bloggers who want to gain friends in the blogosphere and build links at the same time – BC Bloggers 3 is now open. To join just visit Mommy Diary, read the requirements, and fill out the Application Form."
 

I have always been fascinated by the fruit wines in unique bottles that I always see in the mall. These fruit wines were made from Guyabano, Bignay and Mango; and I have been wondering how these wines tastes. Luckily, I had the opportunity to have a taste of the Strawberry Wine from Baguio City and I actually liked it mainly because of its sweet taste.

Wines made from fruits other than grapes have been gaining popularity especially in our country where tropical fruits are abundant. We all know that wine is a product of partial or complete alcoholic fermentation of fruit juices, but do you know how to make a wine? Let me share with you how.

The process of wine-making is quite easy and simple with just four basic steps, namely:

• Extraction
• Fermentation
• Aging
• Clarification

But before we go any further, it is important to note that the fruits that are ideal for wine making are those that are table ripe for optimum sugar content, juicy fruits and those with high fermentable sugar content; hence, the most common are mongoes, duhat, pineapple, coconut and the likes. But what catches my attention most was the wine from Banana. Yes, Banana Wine! So I've decided to share with you the recipe for Banana Wine since I find it very uncommon.

So, here's the recipe that I got for Banana Wine:

Ingredients

• ripe banana (cavendish variety)
• refined sugar
• red star yeast

Procedure

• Wash the fruits, peel and slice thinly
• Boil the fruits in water until cooked (1 part banana into 1.5 parts of water)
• Allow to cool and strain/extract juice
• Add sugar to the banana extract (1 part sugar to every 3 parts extract)
• Boil and stir the extract to dissolve the sugar
• Sugar content should be 22°-24°Brix
• Add yeast (0.05% of the total volume)
• Cool and place in a clean narrow-mouthed glass containers or demijohns
• Allow to ferment for 2 to 4 weeks
• Separate the clean fluid from the sediments
• Allow the clear liquid to age for at least 2 years
• Clarify or filter
• Bottle the wine into clear and sterilized bottles